28th April 2008 – Glastonbury line up revealed. World yawns.
Given the furore made over Jay-Z headlining the hippie magnet that is Glastonbury, imagine what fuss is to be made over the full line up which was revealed this week. Funnily enough, there was barely any. In fact the line up itself looks rather insipid and uninspiring, and pales in comparison when you consider the other giants of the summer festival period, Reading and Download.
It looks like times are beginning to leave the Eavis family behind, and it would seem their idea of interesting the younger generations with a hip to the hop line-up is set to backfire upon them. Can they improve things for next year?
29th April 2008 – Beggars leaves labels like Too Pure begging.
This week saw the sad news that the Beggars Group, who’s label stable includes Too Pure, XL and Matador has decided to cut loose some of its extremities. The group has effectively closed down the legendary names Too Pure and Beggars Banquet in order to bolster the expansion of 4AD, a new label.
It’s a damn shame considering some of the great talent and passion in the labels, but rest assured the artists affected by this restructuring, such as Future of the Left, will find new homes on 4AD, so it’s not all bad news.
30th April 2008 – Radiohead are bored already.
It would seem a week cannot pass without Radiohead doing or saying something that has the press leaping to the headlines.The ever articulate Thom Yorke revealed to shit indie magazine NME that the band have no plans to repeat their pay what you like (nothing) scheme, saying “it was a moment in time.”
Given the added secrecy over the official numbers, and the brutal honesty of Trent Reznor who proved that the idea isn’t particularly financially viable you can’t help but get the impression that this was a moment in time where they didn’t realise how little they’d make off the internet release.
2nd May 2008 – The Cure show off new ideas in new ways.
At the moment it seems like the UK music scene is going through a period of inventiveness and originality, all seemingly inspired by Radiohead’s christmas giveaway at the tail end of 2007. However, singles from the Cure’s thirteenth studio album will be periodically released on the 13th of every month, starting in May, for four months.
The first single will be ‘The Only One‘, released days after the beginning of the Cure’s North American romp along with 65daysofstatic.
